1. Field of the Invention
A method for the recuperation of decayed agricultural plantations is hereby presented, preferably for the case of fruit orchards, and wine and table grape vineyards, in which the decay of the plantation is mainly due to localized irrigation conditions and the use of inadequate exploitation techniques, such as traditional ones. The most significant consequence of decayed plantations is inadequate root development, and its consequent low level of productivity.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditional plantation cultivation techniques, such as those that this invention covers, are based on the application of localized irrigation, whether it be drip emitters, irrigation tape, or micro sprinklers. Localized irrigation doesn't allow an adequate penetration of water to an appropriate depth in the soil when used according to traditional paradigms; it accumulates on the upper levels, and this leads to the sealing of the soil progressively closer to the surface, hampering the movement of water and the nutrients dissolved in it to deeper strata, and more importantly, affecting the oxygen levels in the soil. On the other hand, the excess of water in the soil profile at the depths where the irrigation bulb formed by drip irrigation generates an environment that is appropriate for the development of pathogens and which progressively concentrates salts in the soil, as these cannot be leached. The above-mentioned problems lead to a continued and progressive loss of agricultural aptitude of the soil in question.
The distribution of water at different depths in the soil affects, in addition to the above-mentioned, other chemical and mechanical aspects such as acidity, oxygenation, and porosity (or its opposite, compaction). The water that is found in, or that moves through the soil interstices, participates in the electrical dynamic of it and regulates the solid/liquid ionic exchange. Thus, the smallest presence of water favors the concentration of cations in the liquid phase, thereby favoring the accumulation of salts and toxic compounds such as aluminum (Al+3) in the soil.